AMC Teaming With James Cameron On Docu-Series About The History Of Sci-Fi — TCA

During the network’s TCA presentation, AMC announced today the greenlighting of a documentary series-look into the history of science fiction, from one of the most influential figures of the genre. James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction sees the legendary filmmaker behind The Terminator, Aliens, and Avatar exploring the evolution of science fiction from its cult beginnings in pulp to the engine for blockbuster film and television success it is today.

Comprised of six one-hour episodes, James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction will debut on AMC in 2018. Each episode will see Cameron introducing one of the “Big Questions” humanity has grappled with through history, delving into Science Fiction’s past to look at how the genre’s films, TV shows, books, and video games were born, and where the genre, and humanity, might be headed. Throughout, Cameron and his contemporaries debate the merits, meanings, and impacts of the films and novels that influenced them.

“When I was a kid, I basically read any book with a spaceship on the cover and I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey many, many times,” said Cameron in announcing the series. “The movie inspired me to become a filmmaker. I liked the special effects, but I really loved the ideas and the questions behind them: How will the world end? Will technology destroy us? What does it mean to be human? These are subjects sci-fi has never been afraid to tackle.”

“With this series, we are going back to the origins of sci-fi, following the DNA of these ideas back to the source. Without Jules Verne and H.G. Wells there wouldn’t have been Ray Bradbury or Robert A. Heinlein, and without them, there wouldn’t be Lucas, Spielberg, Ridley Scott or me. As a filmmaker who specializes in science fiction, I’m interested in exploring the struggles and the triumphs that brought these incredible stories to life and seeing how art imitates life, as well as how science fiction imitates and sometimes informs science.”

Produced by Left/Right, James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction is executive produced by Cameron, Maria Wilhelm, Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver. Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), which houses the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, is consulting on the series.